The present invention relates to the field of prevention of skeletal misalignments and, more particularly, to a tool and method for measuring the cervical curve of a person""s neck and for providing proper support therefor while the person is lying down.
Chinese and Egyptian records provide evidence that the theory that the human nervous system plays a critical part in maintaining the well-being of our bodies was developed in ancient times. Spinal manipulation was known as long ago as the year 2700 BC in China as a means of treating various maladies. Greek writings from about 1500 BC provide directions for manipulation of the legs in the treatment of lower back injuries. The records of other ancient cultures from North America, Babylon, Syria, Tibet, and Japan also indicate that soft tissue manipulation has also been practiced in the treatment of pain related to various conditions and disease. The modern health care specialty of chiropractic medicine is based upon this ancient idea.
Practitioners of chiropractic are known as chiropractors. They treat patients primarily for pain in the back, neck, and for chronic headaches. Chiropractors generally treat their patients by the application of pressure to the skeletal joints, both manually and by certain instruments. A primary focus of chiropractic treatment is the spinal column, since it is believed that the misalignment of vertebrae in the spine disrupts the function of the nervous system, in turn leading to imbalances and disease states which manifest through pain in various locations of the body. Consequently, a typical chiropractic adjustment involves realignment of the spine by manipulation of the vertebrae.
However, the typical chiropractic patient may have difficulty maintaining the spine in proper alignment following a chiropractic adjustment. It has been recognized that one cause of such difficulty is inappropriate positioning of the spine during the sleep, the result of inadequate support particularly for the neck area of the patient, also known as the cervical spine.
With the foregoing in mind, the present invention advantageously provides a tool for measuring a person""s cervical curve and associated methods.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool to measure the curve of the cervical spine of a person, also referred to herein as the cervical curve.
It is another object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, and easily portable tool for measuring the curvature of the cervical spine, or cervical curve.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for providing proper support for the cervical spine when the person lies down, such as during sleep, by measuring the cervical curve and providing a cervical support pillow correlated in dimension to the cervical curve.
In view of those objects, the tool comprises a plurality of predetermined curved portions each substantially complementary in shape to a cervical curve, for measuring a person""s cervical curve when the tool is positioned adjacent the nape of the person""s neck. The plurality of predetermined curves comprises a predetermined size range of curves to allow measurement of cervical curves in persons of varying size and stature.
In one embodiment of the invention, the tool comprises a plurality of cards, each card including a predetermined curve substantially complementary in shape to a cervical curve. The tool is used for measuring a person""s cervical curve when at least one of the cards is positioned adjacent the nape of the person""s neck. The plurality of cards comprises a predetermined size range of curves, with the curve positioned along an edge of the card in one embodiment of the invention.
An associated method includes the steps of measuring the cervical curve of a person, and selecting a cervical support pillow having dimensions substantially corresponding to the cervical curve measurement so that the pillow substantially supports the neck when the person is lying down.